I don’t want to be part of a reality show. If I wanted to be part of a reality show I would move to LA. That’s not what I’m here for. I’m here to win baseball games and we’re not doing a good job of that. Am I part of the solution or am I part of the problem? I want to part of the solution, not part of the problem. It seems like everybody wants to just create problems for us because we have a really good group of guys and we all get along but that’s not how it’s perceived. …

It sucks because it seems nobody else wants you here except for your teammates. What are supposed to do? What am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to go home and pout and take that home with me. That ain’t happening. That’s not me. … I thought I made it pretty clear yesterday that my off-time isn’t anybody’s business. If it keeps me from doing what I need to do, then it becomes the Boston Red Sox business, but it didn’t keep me from that.

Beckett finished the interview by saying: “I would do nothing to jeopardize my team or myself.”

worst analogy ever – you need to understand it’s sports – Beckett has not rteallly hurt anyone. I put sports in brackets, as it were…. Beckettt is not pancreatic cancer anymore than Andre Iguodala was heroic sinking two freee throws last night. ANymore than Curt Schillling was courageous to pitch wioth a blooody sock. Get an existence- after you try that for awhile that you might be able to trade up for a life! Itt’s just SPORTS!!!!!!!

I agree, Randy, pancreatic cancer is a bit extreme. Let’s make him a herpes sore. A herpes sore is also abdominal, it’s comical instead of melodramatic, and from now on, every time you watch a Borg-Beanbag game and he goes to scratch his nuts, it’ll crack you up. It’s a long season and we all need to smile a little more.

Relax, everyone. Randy’s just trollin’. I don’t know if he believes a word he types, he just likes to insult the Red Sox, their fans, and Beckett in particular. S’not his fault, really. He’s a lifelong fan of the most successful franchise in sports history. More money, wins and Jeter than anyone else. Hence, he has every reason to be all insecure and douchey to another team. . .or something.

I know he hates the RS and I normally try to avoid reading his posts. I get it. The Yankee lovers in my family will give me grief about the Sox, briefly, because they are too obsessed with complaining about the Yanks.

I only got one phone call @ Beckett. Josh Beckett called my house asking if I was available to golf Sunday. That would be today, and Josh was really my brother, a RS fan.

I still stand by the RS. Who knows? Even though Beckett ruffled my panties, I still have to root for him. I have to. He pitches for my team. He is a starter for the RS.

And yeah, the Yanks have more money, wins and more Jeters. I added the last ‘s’ ’cause I’m good like that. But, every team has a shot. Except when the BJ’s meet up with the RS.

protius - May 13, 2012 at 3:27 AM

Beckett has become the Baron Harkonnen of the Boston Red Sox. Instead of a putrid oily pus, Beckett’s suppurating sores oooz an indifference to fan reaction and reek of poor judgment. What will he do next?

He made it pretty clear that we are to ignore his free time activities until he goes David Lynch on us some night and actually murders a call girl with a machete, and stores her body parts in his freezer, then he can cook and serve her at his next soirée. By then the Sox will be 16 maybe, 18 games out and no amount of good cheer is going to help at that point.

I think he actually makes some really good points. Being under the microscope like that must suck. It comes with the territory of course, but he’s right–he’s paid to play baseball, not to be a media spectacle.

He’s paid to play baseball AND be a media spectacle. It’s part of the territory, and you can’t really divorce that part of it from the game. Baseball in a vacuum would not generate any money. Baseball is part of the entertainment industry, and celebrity comes with the fortune and other perks. Why do you think teams and even some individual players have their own PR firms?

It is not a job where you punch in and punch out and get to go home in anonymity. If that is what he wants, there are plenty of those out there.

KC/Milwaukee are not the same as Boston. That is the reason people seem to have reservations about Greinke going to a large market team. The guy can pitch, but that private/public separation just doesn’t happen in the bigger markets (unless you are Derek Jeter).

offseasonblues - May 11, 2012 at 7:47 PM

That may be true, but he’s telling us that he doesn’t like that part of the deal. We’ve learned recently that honesty doesn’t pay, but if you took an anonymous poll, how many major leaguers would tell you they love the fishbowl?

Wealth is indeed a bit like Kolinhar, but whereas it may be effective against emotionalism, clearly, it does little if anything for stupidity.

jimeejohnson - May 11, 2012 at 8:55 PM

See that dick, Cheney!

Old Gator - May 12, 2012 at 11:10 AM

First puppetmaster of state to undergo a heartless transplant.

protius - May 14, 2012 at 6:00 AM

See Barrack Obama:

Lying doesn’t last as long as it used to. You can only deny being a socialist for so long and finally it will catch up to you, and you can either become a drunkard college professor, getting fired from one job after another, or work for the party, and hope that they will forgive your trespasses.

LA is a great place for reality shows, but not baseball reality shows. Beckett is right in ESPN’s backyard. He’d be more under the radar with the Angels or Dodgers. Pujols has been a big storyline this year, but the world would have exploded already if it was the Yankees or Red Sox that gave him that contract.

“… my off-time isn’t anybody’s business. If it keeps me from doing what I need to do, then it becomes the Boston Red Sox business, …)

Did he not miss a start?. So I guess in this instance it is the RS business, .. and by extension the RS fans as well.

Beckett continues not to get it. He busted his behind to become a MLB ballplayer. To not understand that it’s a very public occupation with all that it comes with is, … well dense. He is engaged in a public forum and as is frequenter the case in public occupations perception is reality. And, … a pitcher with a history of back problems should not be swinging a golf club during the season.

He signed a long contract for real big bucks and he’s underperformed, which means he’s subject to criticism from the paying customer — Red Sox Nation — especially if he is perceived to be dispassionate, aloof and self-centered. If he performs at or near the expectations of Boston fans, fine, but “perception while underachieving” is the issue here. Red Sox Nation is holding him and the team accountable, which they have the right to do. They also have the option of not paying to see their team play at Fenway Park. Believe me, the ownership knows this option too.

That right is being exercised in a big way, just because people posses tickets doesn’t mean they sold for face. When you can get in the park for $4 or under the sell out streak is dead. The Sox have been teflon, but those days are over, their media partners arent the only game in town any more, their players aren’t likeable, they aren’t winning, and they no longer benefit from the morbid thought of “I have to watch to see if they win one in my lifetime.” To see teams like the bruins shave their heads for charity while Beckett stuffs his gob and says leave me alone is not a favorable comparison for the Ball team.

Not changing my opinion. We’ve heard similar platitudes from him before. He says all the right things, then interjects the or reiterates a statement that proves he isn’t truly serious about anything he just stated.

If he doesn’t yet get why playing golf the day following an announcement that he will miss his next Start two days forward, because of a sore or strained lat, then he is never gonna get it.

And usually I don’t like to speculate on clubhouse chemistry because there really is no way for outsiders to truly know about that . . . but somehow I have a hard time believing that everyone in that clubhouse wants him around.

PB can play anywhere in that OF, put him in RF when JE comes off the DL….. highly unlikely it ever happens anyway but if Beckett can’t keep his mouth shut, he may be run out of town for a bag of balls.

Average play for big $$$ under a bigger microscope, have the common sense to shut up and collect a check.

Love or hate the Red Sox, I think everyone can agree that if you want to remain relatively unknown to the media…Boston is one of the last places you want to find employment. So, I really don’t quite understand what Beckett was thinking when he accepted the contract terms with Boston, if this is how he truly feels…unless, of course all he was interested was money (No way!! That would never happen!).

That silliness aside, Beckett’s really only brought this upon himself. His pitching has been terrible, and his behavior/attitude hasn’t been much better. Should they be allowed to do anything they want on their off-days? Yes, unless it jeopardizes his ability to perform. At this point, I highly doubt that the Golfing outing was any had any positive or negative effects to his game, but, I think it showed poor judgement to do so, a day after being scratched for a sore Lat.

Either way, the media/fans have turned on Beckett, and right or wrong, his continued ambivalence to this scrutiny will only draw their ire more.

Some guys do manage to seperate their personal lives from their job. However, being the ace of the staff in Boston is going to make that impossible. Especially when the team is struggling.

That being said, this whole golf thing has been blown way out of proportion. He wasn’t on the DL, he was merely scratched. It was a play to get a start for Cook so he wouldn’t jump ship. If Cook had pitched well, people probably wouldn’t have cared that Beckett was golfing. But he didn’t, so it comes back on Beckett. The ace has been pitching like crap, as have many of the Sox starters. He’s right though, what’s he supposed to do? Sit at home and pout? If any of you have ever played sports and been in a funk, you know the best thing to do is to just get your mind off of it. Golf gets your mind off of it. I don’t fault the man for playing golf. Same way I don’t fault anyone for having some beer on a day off.

I agree that he was part of a championship team and that counts for something. However, he was also paid handsomely for that performance. Just as the rest of us do not stay employed and admired because we did something stupendous 5 years ago, Josh has to accept that he is still employed and still expected to perform. I am more offended (as a red Sox fan) that he complains about only having 18 days A YEAR off. That may be true “during the season” but he also has the months of November, December, January and most of Feb off. He may have to work out once in awhile but for 15.75 million dollars/year, he should be able to hire someone to move his arms and legs for him.

Manny Rameriz also claimed to hate the spotlight, but had no problem cashing in on his name at every opportunity.

I agree with the above. He has made his deal and now intends to coast.

Yeah, in retrospect, thats a bad analogy. I was trying to convey the definitive consequences of having such a bad influence in the RS organization. Having a close family member lose the battle to pancreatic cancer, I felt an entitlement to use the term. I don’t, and was wrong to think otherwise. I’m sorry for the poor choice in words. I’ll try to do better in the future.

For $15.75 million and who knows how many cases of beer in 2012, if he has a sore back and begs a day off…until his next scheduled start, he is under the direct supervision of my trainer 24/7. No golf, no miniature golf, no sex, no nothin’ unless it is okayed by the club. Especially at 2-4 and 5.97.
He does however have a whining pct. of 998.98997!

For the people with the Tito comments, how about looking at the person who enabled this culture in the locker room the last 8 years. Also, what was the Sox record last year at this point? Tito sucked too, don’t give me this crap that he was some type of good manager. Give me a break. This has NOTHING to do with Valentine. TITO is one of the guys to blame, don’t you dare let him off the hook,& I will continue to say this- Theo is the worst GM in baseball when it comes to free agents. It isn’t even debatable.